Rahaty – Bestial Lustmord
Release Date: 28th August 2026
Label: Sentient Ruin
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
FFO: Imprecation, Pa Vesh En, Drawn and Quartered, Archgoat.
Review By: Aeons Burning
The enigmatic entity behind Pa Vesh En is back, and this time instead of raw black metal, they’ve written more furious blackened death metal under the name Rahaty. Who this person is, we don’t know, except they’re from Belarus and Rahaty’s debut Bestial Lustmord is fast, furious, and a frenzied display of barbarism that is a rather impressive stepping stone into a different style than the much more chill main project they’re known for. Drawing influences from bands like Imprecation, Archgoat, and even outside of the war metal spectrum with Drawn and Quartered, Rahaty has a specific audience that is drawn to this hyper-intense stuff like a goat to a Chris Moyen album cover.
What’s most impressive about Bestial Lustmord is that the dude knows how to write some super chunky riffs. Paired with the ambient stylings of Pa Vesh En, there’s some especially unnerving soundscapes, especially in the openings of both Scorched Beneath the Solar Seal and Sigillum Hirci before all hell breaks loose with the furious riffs and cavernous, abyssal vocals. I’m a big fan of the production on Bestial Lustmord, as this heavily layered approach is more uncommon with the so-called bestial black metal side of war metal, with bands such as Archgoat and Profanatica preferring a more simplistic approach with straight-up ignorant riffs. Rahaty gives a more nuanced, complex sound, and that’s definitely very appreciated. Rahaty doesn’t stay for long either, as it’s a mere twenty minutes long and makes sure to leave a scorched wasteland behind.
Unfortunately, there’s one glaring flaw on Bestial Lustmord, and it’s the intro Cathedral Siege Warfare as well as the interlude Marching with Hooves of Iron. These songs are, quite bluntly, pointless. I’m pretty against intros and interludes in general, but on a twenty minute album such as this it feels so out of place and disrupts the flow of the record entirely. Hopefully on record number two Rahaty will nix the non-songs and focus on blasting the whole time. Critique aside, Bestial Lustmord is a pretty strong debut that I can see myself coming back to in the future. I’ve also been getting more into raw black metal lately, so there’s a pretty good shot I’ll deep dive Pa Vesh En’s discography at some point, because I’d like to hear more of the textures this guy can put together. Is this a quintessential war metal album? No, but it’s good fun and it’s only twenty minutes, so it’s a pretty easy recommendation. It’s been a rather dry month, and Bestial Lustmord is a nice closer that brings something to the table.
(3 / 5)
